14 New Holiday Gift Suggestions for Students – 2024

It hardly seems possible that the calendar has rolled around to the holiday season again! But here we are!

As we think about family and friends – those we will gather with and those afar – many of us naturally begin to think about gifts. And sometimes it can seem especially tough to come up with ideas for your college student. They’ve been away for a few months and it may be harder to think about what they need and want. Or perhaps your student will just be heading to college next fall and you’d like to give them a head start on some good college-useful gifts.

Of course, you know your student better than anyone and can tap into their interests and needs. Maybe they’ve even given you some suggestions or made some requests.

But just in case you’re stumped, we’re here to help. We have 14 new suggestions this year to add to the nearly 120 suggestions in our Holiday Gift Guide. Start with this year’s list and then hop over to our Guide for even more food for thought. Check out our ideas and then let your own creativity take over! If you have additional ideas or suggestions, share them in the comments. Let’s make this a community project!

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Tuck One or Two of These Books in Your College Student’s Bag

It’s often fun to tuck a little something in your student’s luggage for them to find as they unpack at college. Just a little personal or fun something – maybe a note or a special hug friend from childhood. But you might also tuck in a little something that will be useful and provide some guidance when your student needs it most.

We’d like to share six of our favorites that can be great sources of reference for your student. And if your student has already left, don’t forget that they love to receive care packages! Send one or two of these along.

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Review: The Sleep-Deprived Teen by Lisa L. Lewis

From time to time, we like to review some of the books available for parents of college students.  There is a wealth of literature available to help parents cope with the transition to college and the changes that occur throughout the college years.  We’ve offered some lists of recommended reading, and there is something for everyone. Visit our Resources page for suggestions of important books for college parents and their students.

The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, and How Parents and Schools Can Help Them Thrive by Lisa L. Lewis is a book that should be read by every parent of a teenager. Parents of teenagers probably know (or at least suspect) that our kids aren’t getting enough sleep, but most of us don’t think there is anything we can do about that. After all, they’re busy kids, they love their technology, and schools make demands and have fixed – and early – start times. What’s a parent to do?

In The Sleep-Deprived Teen, Lewis explains how the problem, shares the studies that show what happens when we (all) don’t get enough sleep, describes the consequences of sleep deprivation, and then explains how parents can work to help their children, and teens specifically, get more and better sleep. If you’re not yet convinced that lack of sleep is a problem for our teenagers, this book makes the case.

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Beyond Bedding and Mini-Fridges: 12 More Dorm Furnishings You May Not Have Thought Of

It’s that time of year. If you have a student living on a college campus e in the fall for the first time, you’re probably awash in list upon list of those important dorm essentials. (Hint: your student probably only needs half of them.)

But in addition to all of the essentials, it’s always nice to have a few extras (but only a few!) There are some useful non-essentials (that your student might even consider essentials) and then there may be some that are just plain fun.

We’ve written an early post to give you some ideas. Check out that post for a dozen extras to think about.

Beyond Bedding and Mini-Fridges: 12 Dorm Furnishings You May Not Have Thought Of.

But just in case that’s not enough, or you don’t find anything for your student in that earlier article, here are a dozen more suggestions. You definitely don’t need them all, but some of these may be just what can make the difference in your student’s room.

Over-the-bed Storage Shelves

A little extra storage space is always appreciated in tight dorm rooms.

Laptop Cable Lock

Dorms are generally safe spaces, but it’s good to be sure. Keeping the laptop locked when in the room makes sense.

Storage Ottoman

A place to sit AND  extra storage. Double duty.

Underbed Storage Bags

Don’t leave any spaces unused! And instead of just shoving things under the bed, these bags keep things clean and in place.

Dry Erase Whiteboard Calendar

Many students like to keep track of assignments, exams, and due dates on a whiteboard where they can easily plan ahead and see what they need to do. Any helpful study tool is worth its weight in gold!

Bedside caddy for phone, laptop, etc.

All of your student’s essentials right at their fingertips – especially helpful if they’re in a top bunk or lofted bed!

Room Air Purifier

A lot of living happens in a dorm room. An air purifier can help keep it livable.

Desk Cart Organizer

Dorm room desks are sometimes not big enough for all of the stuff students need. This can give them that extra space – and it’s moveable, too.

Sunlight Desk Lamp

In the winter in many places it can be hard to get enough healthy sunlight. And that can be true anytime if your student can’t get out enough. This can help.

Bedside Shelf Wall Organizer

One way to keep everything your student needs right at their bedside. In dorm rooms students live in their beds!

Essential Oil Diffuser

No candles in dorm rooms! But that doesn’t mean that can’t smell good.

LED Photo Clip String Lights

Students love to display photos – of friends and family from home and new friends from school. This is a fun way to display them – and to decorate the room!

 

Don’t forget to check out our previous collection of a dozen fun dorm additions and if that’s still not enough, check out our list of 100 Holiday Gift Ideas and our list of Gift Ideas for Your High School Graduate. 

We’ve got literally hundreds of suggestions to get our creative ideas flowing.

Note: Some links in our post are for affiliate products. If you use our links, College Parent Central receives a small percentage of your purchase price. This does not change the cost to you.  We think it’s only fair to let you know that.

 


#112 – Our Favorite Summer Reads

This episode is sort-of an encore episode. Each year we do an episode where we share some of our favorite – and helpful – books for college parents. This year, we realized that many of the books that we’ve talked about over the past four years are still ones we recommend. So we’ve pulled together seven of our suggestions from past years and put them together in this episode. These books are truly some of our top recommendations. Happy listening – and then happy reading!

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Please leave us a review at “Love the Podcast” to help others find us.


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Holiday Gift Ideas for Students – 2023

It hardly seems possible that the calendar has rolled around to the holiday season again! But here we are!

As we think about family and friends – those we will gather with and those afar – many of us naturally begin to think about gifts. And sometimes it can seem especially tough to come up with ideas for your college student. They’ve been away for a few months and it may be harder to think about what they need and want. Or perhaps your student will just be heading to college next fall and you’d like to give them a head start on some good college-useful gifts.

Of course, you know your student better than anyone and can tap into their interests and needs. Maybe they’ve even given you some suggestions or made some requests.

But just in case you’re stumped, we’re here to help. We have 14 new suggestions this year to add to the nearly 120 suggestions in our Holiday Gift Guide. Start with this year’s list and then hop over to our Guide for even more food for thought. Check out our ideas and then let your own creativity take over! If you have additional ideas or suggestions, share them in the comments. Let’s make this a community project!

Read more


Book Review – Outsmart Your Brain by Daniel T. Willingham

From time to time, we like to review some of the books available for parents of college students.  There is a wealth of literature available to help parents cope with the transition to college and the changes that occur throughout the college years.  We’ve offered some lists of recommended reading, and there is something for everyone. Visit our Resources page for suggestions of important books for college parents and their students.

Daniel T. Willingham’s book Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning Is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy is a book that will give high school students a boost and should be packed in every college student’s luggage as they head off to school. It’s not a book your student will sit down and read from cover to cover, and it isn’t meant to be. Your student may even scoff at it and assume they don’t need it. But as they settle into the work of college, as they begin to hit the inevitable bumps in the academic road, if the book is there waiting for them, they will have an approachable resource that can make the difference between failure and success.

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Book Review: The Mindful College Student

From time to time, we like to review some of the books available for parents of college students.  There is a wealth of literature available to help parents cope with the transition to college and the changes that occur throughout the college years.  See the Recommended Reading section of our Resources page for more suggestions.

Eric Loucks’ book The Mindful College Student: How to Succeed, Boost Well-Being and Build the Life You Want at University and Beyond is an invitation. Dr. Loucks is an expert in the field of Mindfulness, and his book includes academic understanding of the field, but largely, throughout the book, Dr. Loucks invites his reader to join in the contemplations and exercises to come closer to their thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. The work isn’t always easy, but the invitation guides the reader.

Today’s college students are experiencing more stress and anxiety than ever before. Those of us on college campuses see it daily. Students are stressed and overwhelmed and many of them don’t know how to cope with what they are feeling. This book is for them – and really for all of us.

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Six Gift Book Suggestions for Your High School Graduate (Plus a Bonus!)

Congratulations! You have a high school graduate! This is a milestone and you want to give your student just the right gift(s). A graduation gift can be very personal and we have lists of suggestions to get you started. Be sure to check out our list – and then get your creative juices flowing.

Let’s get specific here about some summer (and beyond) reading.

If your student is headed off to college, there’s a lot to learn and understand about the college world, and your student may be both excited and anxious about how things will go. Among those graduation gifts, a book or two (or three or more) might be just the thing for your student to read over the summer as they prepare for college and also take with them for reference later. (Maybe a little surprise tucked into their luggage for discovery while they’re unpacking!)

There a lots and lots of good books about college life, college success, and career readiness out there. We have a full reading list with books for parents and books for students. But for now, here are our top six favorites to gift to your student as they head off to college. You may not want them all, but check them out and see what seems to fit your student best.

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#086 – Highlights from Jeff Selingo’s Book There Is Life After College

Jeff Selingo’s book There is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow is a hidden gem. Whether you have a student in high school, in college, or a recent graduate, this is a wonderful resource to share with your student. We think higher education professionals will also find this book eye opening and motivating. In this episode Vicki and Lynn touch on some of the key themes and how they have seen these reflected in today’s students. Understanding some of the issues facing students as they prepare for a career will help you support and guide your student.

SUBSCRIBE VIA
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn Radio | iHeart Radio

Please leave us a review at “Love the Podcast” to help others find us.


Read more


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